The idea of moving into college can be a pretty terrifying concept for many prospective students. This can be for a variety of reasons such as wondering whether or not you’ll make any friends, if you’ll have to go to an event by yourself, or if you’ll get along with your roommate. If you’ve found yourself worrying about these things, don’t worry – you’re not alone. Mississippi College has wonderful student groups to help you meet those college friends you’re hoping to meet as well as amazing Residence Hall events and RA’s to make sure you feel at home.

Out of all the unique things that Mississippi College has to offer, CAB (Campus Activities Board) events, Welcome Week Crew events, and Residence Life events are among the top of my list. From Welcome Week and the Lighting of the Quad, to a Valentine’s Day “mixer” and a “puppy break,” there are all sorts of events you can attend to meet other students and take a break from your studies. Keep reading to learn about some of the people and events that have helped make MC feel like a second home to me this year.

From the moment you arrive on campus, you’re greeted by people wearing t-shirts that say “Welcome Home” and they’re all ready to help you move into your new room. When I first moved in, I thought it would take forever to unload my car and get everything into my room, but these fellow students helped me get everything in the room in less than ten minutes. Everyone was so welcoming and excited for the new year and I knew right then that MC was going to feel like home much sooner than later. Once I was unpacked and settled in, I was ready to start the “Welcome Week” activities.

Welcome Week includes events such as the Worship Collective, the Event (a dance party with an amazing live band), the Food Truck Fest, and the Night in Black at the President’s House. My favorite event during Welcome Week was the Back to the Bricks event.

If you haven’t heard of Back to the Bricks before, it’s an event located on the brick streets, right behind campus, where you get a bunch of free stuff, play some prize-winning games, and eat a bunch of food. My friends and I won coupons to get free pizzas from Mazzio’s, we also got a free t-shirt, a free coffee mug, and even more coupons from various businesses around the Clinton area. After that, we grabbed some food and made new friends while we ate. This event quickly made it to the top of my list of favorite events on campus.

If you’re interested in going to any of these events, but don’t want to go alone, gather up a group of people from your Residence Hall and go together! It will be a great way to get to know your neighbors and make your dorm hall feel even homier.

As if the events put on by the Welcome Week Crew and CAB weren't enough, we also have events put on by our Residence Halls. Sometimes, these events are just for the people living in a specific Residence Hall, and sometimes they’re open to all MC students. My Residence Hall has put on a Karaoke night, a Taco night, a BBQ, a game night, and even a night with root beer floats. Another Residence Hall put on a Valentine’s Day “mixer” where they invited all MC students to attend and meet some new faces and enjoy each other’s company. New Women’s East put on an event called “puppy love” where they had several puppies for the residents to hang out with as well as cookies in the shape of paws and some other snacks to go along with them. My friend told me that it was literally two hours of just playing with puppies. Needless to say, it was a pretty fun event.

One thing I’ve heard from several on-campus residents about living here is that just hanging out with their RA will makes their ResLife experience more enjoyable. In my personal experience, a few of my friends, my RA, and myself sat on the floor of my dorm room and just had girl talk for a couple hours. Another one of my friends from a different Resident Hall said that her RA bought pizza for her hall and invited everyone to her dorm for a movie night.

I can honestly say that I wouldn’t be near as connected as I am here at MC if it wasn’t for the people I met from my Residence Hall. My roommate became my best friend, my RA served as a big sister, and my neighbors served as my study buddies and my lunch buddies – the list goes on.

Be sure to attend events put on by your dorm hall and maybe even try keeping your dorm room door open when you’re in there and you're not busy – I’ve met a lot of new people in my dorm from doing that and it also makes you feel more at home. Try to remember that you aren’t the only one who’s nervous to meet new people and, if you’re really struggling to put yourself out there, you can always talk to your RA and see if he/she has any tips to help you put yourself out there. My RA was a huge help to me during the first couple weeks of the school year and I’m so glad I asked her for help on how to meet people and get involved on campus. As you can see, Mississippi College is not just dedicated to ensuring that you have an excellent academic experience, but we are also dedicated to helping you be able to call MC your home – not just the place where you take classes and live.

If you'd like to keep up with us on Instagram, you can follow us @misscollege. You can also keep up with the events put on by our Campus Activities Board @mc_cabevents as well as posts about Student Engagement, Student Development, and Residence Life @mscollegestudentlife.